I’m packing up for a bear photography trip next week, and I can’t wait. Alaska is still home to Cree and I, we spend months each year photographing this amazing state. We’re bringing a Z8 with us, so stay tuned for more field impressions of that camera soon.
Wildlife photographers know that often the best images of their subject is getting eye level with it. We will be on the ground photographing bears next week, so eye level for bear shooting means getting about 6 inches off the ground to take the shot. Or does it?
Remember a few things about getting ‘eye level’ with your subject, for example a bear. First, sometimes the bears climb small tussocks or a log, getting them eye level with the photographer without even having to kneel down. And sometimes the bears are on shore banks and they are actually above eye level with you. Topography and subject location can help you get eye level images without even getting low to the ground.
Next, how close are you to your subject? If I am sitting down, and photographing a bear at a 100 feet using a 600mm telephoto, then getting a few inches lower doesn’t affect my shooting angle that much. The bear still looks about eye level. But if I photograph a much closer bear, then my shooting angle is more pronounced, and moving up and down a few inches will have a bigger effect on the shot. The one exception to this concept is shooting right on the ground. When you are only a few inches off the dirt shooting a long telephoto lens it really gives you a unique perspective since the ground is only an inch from the lens. Move your lens a few inches from the ground really changes the final shot no matter how close or far your subject it.
But who wants to lie in the wet sand or muddy field on your stomach eye level with a bear and take shots using your viewfinder? I do!! Yes, I love getting in the dirt, and I know for fact I shoot better tracking a subject through the viewfinder than I do looking at an LCD. But LCD shooting has improved dramatically in recent years, and it is a great solution when you don’t want to lie in the puddle to get the eye level shot. Instead, try this technique.
First, decide how you are going to hold the camera….either on a tripod or hand holding it. Tripods that don’t have a center column and legs that flatten out work great to position your camera a few inches above the ground…see the photo above. The other option, which is more portable for moving subjects, is to hold the tripod mount {positioned on top) of the lens. If you lens is heavy this might be harder to hand hold or bend over holding a heavy camera.
Next, extend your LCD screen so you can see it from above, and set your viewfinder mode so the screen comes on when your eye is not next to the viewfinder. Choose an autofocus pattern that will track your subject. With my Z9 I use Auto Area Autofocus with subject detect set to animals. If I can get the subject in the viewfinder, the autofocus will track and lock onto the eye.
Actual focus can be tricky. Many LCD screens allow you to touch the screen to focus and shoot…this is an option. But I have found ‘touch and shoot’ isn’t as stable or reliable as using an advanced autofocus mode in the camera. I normally use back button shooting in my photography, but when I am focusing using the LCD I set my shutter to both focus and shoot. This means all I have to do is press the shutter while holding my camera, which activates focus and taking the photo. But use what technique works the best for you….some folks like touch focus on the LCD screen.
You may not see a 100 percent view in your LCD, its hard to see in bright light, and your battery power will run down faster shooting this way. But this is a great way to shoot eye level without lying in the dirt! Get eye level and go for it!